A Twisted Love Story
by SeraphinaTaisho
Summary: What happens when Inuyame, daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, falls in love with two different boys? Especially when one of those boys is the son of Inuyasha's long-hated rival? Read and find out. There will be a twist that will blow your minds later on. :) Rating for slight language, and because I'm cautious.
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

_ Inuyasha paced back and forth outside of Kagome's bedroom. He could hear the screams coming from within and found it nearly impossible to stop himself from rushing in there. 'Sango is in there with her, so is Kayade.' He reminded himself._

"_Inuyasha will you sit still? You're making me nervous." Miroku said from his sitting position about three feet away from the door._

"_I can't stand not being in there with her!" Inuyasha yelled as he punched a hole in the floor._

"_Calm down Inuyasha, I'm sure she will be fi—" He was cut off as a blood curdling scream issued from inside the room._

"_That's it I'm going in there!" Inuyasha said before he determinedly marched towards the door._

"_Inuyasha no!" Miroku lunged forward to tackle him when all of the sudden—_

"_Waaaaaah!"_

_ Inuyasha froze where he was standing, right inside the doorway looking at Kagome and the little bundle in her arms._

"_Is, is that…?" He whispered quietly._

_Kagome looked up at him with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "Yes, it's our daughter, Inuyame."_

"_Inuyame." Inuyasha said in a hoarse whisper as he knelt beside Kagome. Inuyame looked up at him with a toothless grin and amber-colored eyes as Inuyasha took of his robe of the fire-rat and laid it on top of her. "My daughter."_

_ Just then Sango left the room and they could hear her scream to all of the villagers waiting outside "It's a girl!" Everyone cheered and shouted their congratulations into the door. Kagome smiled and held Inuyame out to Inuyasha. Inuyasha shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. "Go on, it's okay." Kagome said and smiled, placing Inuyame in Inuyasha's arms. Inuyasha looked down with wonder and amazement at how such a tiny beautiful baby could belong to him._

"_My little Inuyame." He whispered as he stood up and carried her to the door. When he reached the doorway and held her out to show her to the masses, he was met with cheers and shouts of laughter. Later that night, Kagome and Inuyasha fell asleep with Inuyame in their arms between them. _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: Introducing Everyone

_16 Years Later_

"Mom! Dad! I'm off to school!" Inuyame called into the house as she stood in the front doorway, about to run off to meet her friends.

"Inuyame wait a moment! I have something for you!" Kagome called as she came running from the kitchen holding a Tupperware container. "I made lunch for you." She said.

"Thanks mom!" Inuyame smiled as she let her mom place the box in her backpack.

"You're welcome, dear. Have a good first day of school." Kagome said and gave Inuyame a peck on the cheek.

"I will. Hey, where's dad?" Inuyame frowned.

"Oh you know your father, he's probably hiding out somewhere to avoid this emotional day." Kagome said as her eyes welled.

"Oh mom." Inuyame said as her eyes welled too. "It's just the first day of high school."

"I know, but it's a big day to me and your father. It seems like just the other day we were holding our newborn baby girl." Kagome said and wiped her eyes.

"I know mom. But I really need to go or I'm going to be late." Inuyame said.

"Okay, okay. I'll let you go now. I love you sweetie." Kagome said as she hugged her daughter.

"I love you too mom." Inuyame said and hugged her mom back quick then ran out the door to meet her friends.

She ran out of the hut and made her way to the Great Tree where she and her friends always met up. As she caught sight of the group hanging out under the tree, she quickened her pace. "Hey guys I'm here!" She yelled as she ran towards them, waving one arm over her head.

"Inuyame!" They all called out in greeting.

"Inuyame, you're late." Sanoku said to her as she walked up.

"I know guys I'm sorry. Mom made a big fuss." She said as her cheeks turned pink.

"Oh don't worry, mine did too." Shirara said and smiled.

"Well that makes me feel better." Inuyame said and grinned. She stood there for a moment and just looked at her friends; they were all standing there under the Great Tree where their lives had all began. At the moment, there were three people under the tree other than herself: Mirokusan, Sanoku, and Shirara. Mirokusan and Sanoku were the twin boy and girl children of Sango and Miroku. Sanoku looked a lot like her mother with her long black hair and pink and white kimono, the difference was her kimono was modified to fit modern attire in that the skirt was a little above the knees instead of floor-length. She took after her father with her light blue eyes though. Mirokusan was opposite in he had his father's short black hair and his mother's brown eyes. He wore black pants and a dark purple short sleeve button up shirt. Both of them took after their parents in their facial features so there was no stretch of the imagination there. Now, Shirara on the other hand was another matter entirely. It was awhile before any of her parents or godparents had found out how Kirara could change into a half human form like Inuyasha or Shippo. Kirara wore a long light peach kimono with a black tie. She had black paws for feet and her hands were black paws as well. Her two tails stayed in her human form and she had long black hair. Shirara looked like her mom in every way except she had feet like Shippo and she had normal human hands somehow. She also had two tails but her two tails were the same as her father's one tail. Mirokusan carried a staff the same as his father's, Sanoku had a hiraikotsu just like her mother's, and Shirara had fox magic like her father. Inuyame looked like her mother in her facial features but she had her father's golden eyes. Her black hair looked just like her mothers with ears like her father's only black. She wore a (slightly above the knee) length red robe of the fire rat kimono the way her mother had worn it when she had been kidnapped by someone who wanted to feed her to a tree. She carried a sword made from her father's fang called the Tetsuseiga. She also carried a bow and arrows like her mom had since she also had the powers of a priestess.

"Hello, earth to Inuyame." Mirokusan said as he waved his hand in front of her face.

"Oh! Sorry. What is it?" She asked, startled.

"If we don't get going, we're going to be late for school." He said and they all started off towards school.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: First Day of School

As Inuyame walked into the high school building, she wasn't sure what she expected, but it definitely wasn't teenagers just going to their classes and talking to friends in the hallway. After all, it wasn't called Demon High for nothing. But there wasn't any fighting or even yelling, everyone was just doing their own thing. She looked at her first class on her list and smirked.

"Archery 101. I don't think I'll have much of a problem in that class." She said. She didn't realize how wrong she was.

When she first got to class it wasn't that bad, she just had to sit through the teacher telling them the instructions she already knew. Then came game time, it was time for target practice. She was all lined up and was absolutely positive she was going to get a bulls-eye, when _he_ walked in. He was taller than she was by about four inches, had black hair that would fall to his shoulders if it was down but he had it in a high ponytail, a fur headband, a wolf tail, furry calves, and beautiful blue eyes. While she stared, dumbfounded, as the teacher talked to the new student, her fingers slipped and she shot the arrow, straight into the ground.

"Oops…" she mumbled quietly and blushed bright pink as everyone laughed at her.

"Newbie." she heard someone say in the background.

"Ugh. Focus Inuyame." She chided herself and nocked a new arrow. This time, she hit the bulls-eye dead on and everyone went silent.

"Nice shot." Someone said as he came up right behind her.

"Eek!" She jumped and spun around, her hand going to the hilt of her sword.

The new student put his hands up. "Hey, calm down. I just came over to say hi."

"Oh, I um….uh…" For some reason Inuyame found it hard to speak as she gazed into the sea of his eyes.

"You are what?" he asked, a half smile forming on his face.

"I meant, uh, my names-my names Inuyame." She stuttered and looked down.

"Nice to meet you, my names…" he was cut off before he could tell her his name by someone screaming in the distance. The teacher started rushing everyone out to the front of the school and they got separated in the crowd. Somehow she met up with her friends and told them about the strange boy.

"Oh I heard about him. He just transferred from Feudal High. He's a sophomore." Shirara told them all.

"Oh. Well, whoever he is, he's really cute." Inuyame whispered to the two girls.

The girls went into a giggling fit until Mirukosan interrupted by asking "Do you think classes are canceled for today?"

"I think so since everyone's leaving." Sanoku said.

"Then let's get going. I want some ice cream." Shirara.

"You always want sweets." Inuyame said, laughing.

The four of them started walking to the ice cream parlor in town also known as Teen Dream. They were more than an ice cream parlor. They had a jukebox, (one of the new technological ones), café style food, and good company. The four quickly claimed a booth where no one would hear them.

"So, have you guys heard?" Shirara leaned in and whispered.

"Heard what?" Kagome asked, excited. Shirara knew all the gossip in town and most of it ended up true.

"The Shikon No Tama, or Shikon Jewel, has resurfaced." She said meaningfully.

"No way!" They all gasped and leaned back in their seats.

"With who? Who has it?" Sanoku asked.

"No one knows. There've just been people feeling its presence. That's what the commotion in school today was about. Some demon, bad demon, burst into the school looking for it. Apparently the presence is coming from someone at Demon High." She finished quietly.

"Woah. So anyone at school, besides us, could have it. That's heavy." Inuyame said.

"No, it's serious. If a demon, bad demon, gets its hands on the Shikon Jewel, it could mean the end of the world." Mirokusan said.

"You're right, we need to track down who has it and either get it from them or protect them and the jewel." Inuyame said, determination written all over her face.

"Agreed. But we must go about it carefully so demons, bad demons, don't find out we're looking for it or we could be in danger, big danger." Mirokusan warned.

"So it's settled. Tomorrow at school, we begin our search." Inuyame stated.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Mystery Student

The next day Inuyame rolled over in her bed and groaned as the sun shined in her eyes. "Ugh. Morning already?"

"Inuyame! Time for breakfast!" Kagome called up the stairs.

"Okay! Coming mom!" Inuyame called down and rolled out of bed.

She walked over to her closet and grabbed her robe. She slipped her pink pajama bottoms and top off and slid the robe over her head and tied it at the waist. Today she decided to wear her hair up so she grabbed a red ribbon and tied it into her hair. She grabbed her bow and arrows and Tetsuseiga from her weapons rack and put them on. Then she ran downstairs and sat down at the breakfast table.

"Good morning mom. Morning dad." She said as Kagome set a plate of breakfast in front of her.

"Morning sweetie." Kagome said.

Inuyasha just nodded in her direction, seemingly distracted.

"Dad, what's wrong?" She asked him.

"Oh, well, have you heard anything about the Shikon Jewel?" He asked her.

"Yeah, Shirara said something about it resurfacing. People seem to think it's at Demon High." She said.

"Yeah, that's the dam—" he was cut off by Kagome.

"Watch your language!" she said, giving him a meaningful stare looking at the beads around his neck. Inuyasha grumbled for a moment then continued on.

"That's the problem. I can't go after it because of the student laws." He said.

"Well, Mirokusan, Sanoku, Shirara and I all decided we were going to find out who has it and either take it and protect it or just protect them." Inuyame said.

"Oh. Well, good luck then." Inuyasha said as he finished his breakfast and grabbed Inuyame's book bag and held it out to her.

"Thanks dad." She smiled, grabbed her book bag, stood up on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek and ran out the door. Inuyasha stood there blushing while Kagome smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "We raised her right, didn't we?" She asked. "Ye-yeah, we did." He said then leaned down and kissed her.

Meanwhile, Inuyame and the group had split up to go to class and she was just getting to her archery class. When she walked out onto the target range, she was surprised and a little upset to find someone sitting in her spot.

She walked over there and with purpose tapped them on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but that's my seat you're sitting in." She said with force. She gasped as the demon turned around and she was pierced with bright blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know." The new student said as he got up. "Oh, it's you." He said and smiled.

"Yeah, and you are..?" She asked as she stood there awkwardly.

"Oh, my name's Kovu." He said and flashed his teeth.

Inuyame whistled low as she looked at his sharp canines. "Nice to meet you." She said and flashed her teeth back at him. For a daughter of a human and a half demon, she had some pretty impressive canines herself.

"So you know how to shoot huh?" He asked, but said it more like a statement than a question.

"I'd say so. How about you?" She asked, wondering what his talents were.

"Nope. I'm afraid I'm new to the whole archery thing." He said.

"Oh. Well, it isn't as hard as it seems." Inuyame said and proceeded to show Kovu how to hold the bow, nock an arrow, and aim. "And from there you just shoot." She said as she let the arrow fly straight to the middle of the target.

"Wow, impressive." Kovu said as he nocked an arrow in one of the schools bows. "Let me try." He said and took aim at one of the other targets. When he let go, Inuyame was sure the arrow would miss, but when she turned around, his arrow was dead center of the target.

Inuyame's jaw dropped as she stared in disbelief. "Beginner's luck." She said as she composed herself. "Why don't you try again."

Kovu smiled, knowing he'd hit a nerve. He knew very well that she was known for her phenomenal archery skills, which was precisely why he had asked his father to get him a private instructor so he could learn how to shoot. He had thought she'd be impressed, but he'd made a mistake by telling her he had never shot a bow before so he decided to play dumb. "Alright, here goes nothing." He took aim, knowing his hold was sloppy, and let go. The arrow, as expected, veered way left of the target, and, just as he'd hoped, some of the fletching from the tail of the arrow had gotten caught in his hand. "Ouch!" he grunted.

Inuyame gasped and went over to Kovu's side. "Are you okay? Let me see." She said and grabbed his hand.

"I guess I kinda messed that one up huh?" He asked with a crooked smile.

"Maybe just a little bit." She smiled back as she slowly pulled the plastic out if his hand. "There, since you're a demon you should be good as new in about an hour. But just to be on the safe side…" She trailed off as she ran over to her book bag. "We better wrap it." She said and took some white gauze wrap from the first aid kit her mom had put in her bag. "Here." She said and wrapped his hand.

"Thanks. That feels a lot better." He said and gave her another prize-winning smile.

"Oh, it was nothing." She said and smiled back, her cheeks turning bright red. Just then the bell rang, signaling time for lunch. Since their first hour class was actually three hours long, lunch was right after it. "Well, I have to go meet with my friends. See ya later." She said and waved as she merged into the crowd.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: The Hunt Begins

When Inuyame arrived at her groups designated lunch table, her friends were huddled up and whispering quietly to each other.

"Hey guys. What's up?" She asked as she set her tray down.

They all sat back in their seats and looked at her. "We found a lead." Mirokusan said.

"Really?" She asked as she sat down. "Where?"

"We believe the new student has something to do with it." Sanoku whispered.

"Kovu? But, he just transferred here. How would he have anything to do with it?" Inuyame asked quietly.

"Well, I heard that some demons were attacking his old school, and that's why his parents moved here." Shirara stated.

"So you think that demons were attacking his old school because the jewel was there?" Inuyame whispered.

All three of her friends nodded their heads.

"But, he seemed so nice." Inuyame said and slumped back in her chair, no longer hungry.

"Well, maybe it isn't him. I mean, this is all just conjecture at this point." Shirara said, putting her hand on Inuyame's shoulder.

"Yeah, we don't know anything for sure yet." Sanoku said, doing the same.

"Thanks guys. But, we can't rule him out I guess. I'll talk to him tomorrow and see if I can get anything out of him." Inuyame said and grasped her friends' hands.

"Alright then. See you guys after school." Mirokusan said before he got up and walked to class.

"See you guys later." Inuyame said and walked to her second class of the day, Demonology.

Inuyame sat through Demonology without having to pay too much attention to what the instructor was saying because since this class had been cancelled the first day, this was basically class orientation. So her mind was free to wander to Kovu, with his beautiful blue eyes. Could he really be the one who had the Shikon Jewel? She just couldn't see him as the bad guy. But then again, his possession of the jewel didn't necessarily make him the bad guy, he could be guarding it like her and her friends were planning on doing. 'Yes, that could be it.' She thought just as the bell rang for Inuyame to go to her third and final class of the day.

"Is this really my last class?" She asked herself as she arrived at First Aid 101. 'Why would I need to take a first aid class?' She thought to herself.

"Hello class." The professor standing at the front of the room said. "My teaching name is professor Toshi but you may all call me Kaede." She said.

"Kaede?!" Inuyame gasped quietly as she quickly walked up to the professor.

"Inuyame child, is that you?" Kaede asked as she peered at Inuyame.

"Yes it's me." Inuyame said as she gave Kaede a hug. "I didn't know you taught here."

"Oh yes. I've been teaching first aid here since you were very little." Kaede said and smiled as she released Inuyame.

"Wow. Well, I'm glad you're my professor." Inuyame said and grinned.

"Me too dear. Although I don't understand why ye are in a first aid class. Hasn't your mother taught ye all ye need to know?" Kaede asked quizzically.

"Well yes. I don't really know why I'm in this class either." Inuyame said.

"Well, perhaps we can use this time to help in your priestess training then." Kaede said.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow then." Inuyame said. While her and Kaede had been talking, so had the rest of the class. And without the two realizing it, class was over.

"See ye tomorrow child." Kaede said.

Inuyame rushed out of the school building with the rest of the students and ran over to meet her friends under the Great Tree.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. You'll never believe who one of my professors is." She said.

"Who?" They all asked in unison.

"Lady Kaede." She said meaningfully.

"Really?!" All her friends exclaimed.

"Yeah! And she said since my mom has already taught me all of the first aid I need to know, she's going to use the class time to help train me as a priestess!" Inuyame said excitedly.

"That is so cool." Shirara said.

"Ahem." Mirokusan loudly cleared his throat.

"Oh, right." Sanoku said. "We need to talk to you. Have you found out anything else from that Kovu guy?"

"No, I haven't seen him since morning class. That's the only class I have him in." Inuyame said.

"Okay well, tomorrow see what you can find out. Then tell us at lunch." Mirokusan said.

"I will, don't worry." Inuyame said and hugged her friends before running home.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" She yelled as she walked through the door. She hung her book bag on the rack in the hallway then walked into the dining room. There was someone sitting there talking to her dad. He had long white hair and a long kimono.

"Uncle Seshie!" Inuyame squealed and ran over to hug the person.

"Oof. Hello to you too, Inuyame." Sesshomaru said as he awkwardly hugged his niece back.

"What are you doing here? Is aunt Rin here too?" Inuyame asked.

"Yes, she's in the living room with your mother. And I'm here to talk to your father about the jewel." Sesshomaru said after a nod from Inuyasha.

"Oh okay. Well it was nice seeing you again, I'm going to go say hi to Auntie." Inuyame said and gave Sesshomaru a quick bye hug.

"Auntie Rin!" She exclaimed as she ran over to her aunt and squeezed her.

"Inuyame! Hi sweetie." Rin said as she squeezed her favorite niece back. "It's so good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too." Inuyame said. "Where's my favorite cousin? Where's Marin?" Inuyame asked.

"She's upstairs playing with your little brother, Taro." Rin said hesitantly.

"Oh you guys brought him back? Thank goodness. It's been so quiet without him!" Inuyame said happily then ran upstairs to hug her brother.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Reunited

"Taro!" Inuyame squealed as she pulled the little 5 year old into her embrace. "I've missed you so much!"

"Miss you too, sister." Taro giggled.

"And how have you been Marin?" Inuyame asked the 9 year old.

"Good. Mom and dad said Taro was old enough to come home so we brought him back. I'm going to miss him but that's okay because mom says I have a little brother or sister on the way." Marin said and smiled.

"That's great! You're going to love being a big sister, I promise." Inuyame said then settled down in the rocking chair in the playroom, pulling Taro into her lap.

_Flashback_

"_No mom! You can't make him leave!" 14 year old Inuyame said as Kagome handed the bundle over to Rin. "Why can't he stay here with us?" She cried as her lower lip trembled._

"_He's sick sweetie. We don't have the kind of treatment he needs here. He needs to be with a hanyou doctor." Kagome said as she knelt down and brushed tears out of Inuyame's eyes._

"_But I don't want him to go! He just got here!" Inuyame yelled and stomped her feet._

"_Inuyame, Taro is very sick. Something is wrong with the demon blood in him." Inuyasha said as he bent down and scooped up his daughter._

"_Yes. He's just going away for a short while so he can get better." Kagome said, standing up and hugging Inuyame between her and Inuyasha._

"_When will he be back?" Inuyame asked between hiccups._

"_Months maybe, possibly years." Inuyasha said._

"_Years?! No! I won't let him go!" Inuyame shouted and pushed herself out of Inuyasha's arms and ran out the front door into the rain. "Come back!" She called, with no answer. "Come back." She whimpered and fell to her knees and curled up into a ball._

"Inuyame? Earth to Inuyame?" Marin said as she poked Inuyame's cheek.

"Huh? What? Oh. Sorry Marin. I guess I got lost in my thoughts." Inuyame said as she clutched her little brother.

"That's okay, it happens to me all the time. I was just going to tell you that supper is ready." Marin said. "C'mon Taro, let's eat!" Marin said and grabbed Taro's hand and the two ran downstairs. Inuyame smiled as she followed them. Later that night, as Inuyame lay in bed looking out the window at the stars, everything seemed right in the world. If only she knew how wrong she was.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: Realization

Inuyame woke up and looked out of the window, smiling. She had dreamt of Kovu. She yawned and sat up in bed then slipped her feet into her slippers. Once she was out of the shower and into her school clothes she went downstairs. "Morning mom, morning dad, morning Taro." She said, giving each person in turn a kiss on the head.

"Well you sure are in a good mood." Inuyasha said, giving her a strange look.

Inuyame shrugged and sat down at the breakfast table. She started humming as she began eating, a smile on her face the whole time.

"Hmm, loving, smiling, humming…" Kagome's face lit up with realization. "It must be a boy!"

"What? No. You're crazy." Inuyame said while her cheeks heated up from embarrassment.

"A boy huh?" Inuyasha said. "And who might this boy be?" He leaned in closer.

"No one! Mom doesn't know what she's talking about." Inuyame said. "I gotta go to school." She said quickly and grabbed her bag and ran out the door.

"What was that all about?" Inuyasha asked, dumbstruck.

"It's definitely a boy that's on her mind." Kagome said and smiled knowingly.

"Hmph." Inuyasha grunted.

*Meanwhile*

Inuyame ran up to the tree where her friends were waiting. "Hey guys I'm here sorry I'm late!" She said.

"Hey Inuyame!" They all said in greeting.

"Inuyame, why is your face red?" Sanoku said and walked closer to Inuyame and inspected her face.

"Wha-what? My face isn't red!" Inuyame said. "Come on guys or we're going to be late for school!" She said and turned on her heel before she started running in the direction of the school.

"Inuyame! Wait up!" Shirara yelled as the rest of the gang took off after her.

'That was close.' Inuyame thought to herself as she ran. 'It's bad enough that my mom knows, I don't want them to find out too.'

When the group finally got to the school, it was time to go to class so Inuyame was saved from having to explain anything. As she walked to archery, her mind went over and over how she felt about Kovu. Did she really love him? Was love when you dreamt about a person at night and thought about them first thing in the morning? Was love when the mere thought of a person enough to bring a smile to your face and a blush to your cheeks? She didn't know, all she knew was she had strong feelings for Kovu, she just hadn't decided what they were yet. As she walked through the door she saw the familiar black ponytail of someone sitting in her seat, again.

"Ahem." She coughed as she walked up behind him.

"Oh! Sorry, is this your seat?" Kovu said as he stood up, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. But I could've sworn I told you that yesterday." Inuyame said, trying hard not to smile.

"Really? Huh, must've slipped my mind." He said and smirked, moving to the side to Inuyame could set her stuff down.

"Well, I guess I can forgive you then." She said as she turned to face him. Her breath was once again taken away as she looked into his deep blue eyes. There was something there, though she couldn't decide what, that drew her in, some sort of deep, dark secret that no one knew about.

"Hm, yes, well, thank you." Kovu said and broke the connection. Inuyame blinked and looked away as well. 'What just happened?' she asked herself.

'What the hell was that?' Kovu thought to himself. 'It felt as though, for a moment, we connected. As if our souls touched.'

"So um, I guess we better start practicing." Inuyame said as she unhooked her bow from her backpack and grabbed an arrow out of her quiver.

"Ye-yeah, I guess so." Kovu said. 'Did I just stutter? Me? Who always knows what to say? Who is this girl and what spell has she put on me?'

"Here goes." Inuyame whispered to herself as she nocked an arrow. She aimed at the target, focused her energy, closed her eyes, and let go.

"Woah." Kovu gasped to himself as the arrow hit a direct bullseye. "Impressive." He said to her. "I've been practicing since you taught me. Let's see how I do."

"Be my guest." Inuyame said as she moved off to the side.

'Alright now, not too good.' Kovu said to himself. He lifted his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming slightly off to the side. He let go and smiled as the arrow hit the second outermost ring, right where he'd been aiming.

"Nice shot!" Inuyame said and clapped a little bit. She smiled wide and Kovu's heart fluttered.

"Ha, thanks." He said and combed his hand through his hair nervously.

They both jumped a little as the bell rang. "Hey, umm, I don't really have anyone to eat lunch with so, would you like to sit with me?" Kovu asked quietly, so much so that Inuyame had to strain to hear him.

"Oh, umm, sure." Inuyame said, a blush slowly creeping across her cheeks. "I'll just let my friends know." She said and did a small wave before running off to find the others.

Kovu smiled as he watched her leave. "She sure is something." He said to himself.

_Meanwhile_

"Hey guys! Hey wait up!" She called as she saw her friends standing outside the cafeteria.

"What is it Inuyame?" Sanoku asked.

"I uh, umm, er, that is, well…" Inuyame stuttered.

"Just spit it out already!" Shirara persisted.

"I can't eat lunch with you guys today!" Inuyame blurted.

"Okay. Why?" Mirokusan asked.

"Well, uh, Kovu asked me to eat lunch with him." She said, trying hard to keep back a smile as her face turned bright red.

"What?! When did this happen?! Why didn't you tell us sooner?!" Shirara and Sanoku practically yelled.

"Ahh! Soorry! It just happened during last class so I told you as soon as I found you." She said.

"Ohmigosh that is so sweet! I'm so happy for you!" Shirara said and hugged Inuyame.

"Me too!" Sanoku said and joined in.

"Women." Mirokusan said and put his face in his hands. "Well if you ladies are done I would like to get some lunch for I am starved." He said and made a sweeping motion with his hand towards the lunchroom.

"Alright alright, we get the hint. C'mon Shirara, let's go." Sanoku said and grabbed Shirara's arm, tugging her towards the cafeteria.

"Alright I'm coming. But I want full details girl! You better call me tonight!" Shirara called as she disappeared.

"Hey." Came the husky sound of a male voice right next to her ear.

Inuyame jumped and gasped as she spun around. "You startled me!" She accused as she playfully poked a finger into Kovu's chest.

"Woah hey, sorry love." Kovu said as he innocently put his hands up in mock surrender.

Inuyame blushed when he called her "love". "Well, let's get going to lunch then." She said and turned on her heel. Kovu followed close behind.

The two of them got their trays of food and sat down. "So, how are you today?"

Inuyame looked up, surprised. "Umm, today I'm great."

"Meaning yesterday you weren't so great?" Kovu asked as he put his head on his hand, intrigued.

"Oh, no that's not what I meant. I'm just feeling happy today." Inuyame said and blushed after she realized what she had just said.

"Hmm, is there any, special, reason for that?" Kovu asked as he reached his hand across the table and lightly brushed the top of Inuyame's hand.

She drew in a quick breath and flipped her hand so her palm was facing up. "Ma-maybe." She stuttered and looked away.

"Uh huh. Well, I'm especially happy today too." Kovu said and grinned widely at her as he slipped his hand into hers and held on to it.

"R-really? Wh-what for?" Inuyame asked, her voice trembling. Her stomach felt like it was full of butterflies.

"Hmm, I'd have to say it's because of you." Kovu said, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Me?" Inuyame asked, stunned. Sure she had figured that's what he was going to say but actually hearing him say it was a different thing entirely.

"Yes, you. I don't know why but I'm drawn to you, Inuyame. I find that I can't stop thinking about you even when you're not with me. There's just something about you." Kovu said earnestly as he looked into Inuyame's eyes.

"I, I don't know what to say. But I feel the same way about you." Inuyame said, her face turning scarlet.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, it's a perfectly natural feeling." Kovu said as he grabbed both of Inuyame's hands in his own.

"I, I know. It's just, I've never felt this way about anyone before." Inuyame said quietly, so quietly so that Kovu had to lean forward and strain his ears to hear it.

When he realized what she had said, his face lit up and he smiled. "I'm really glad to hear you say that. I've never felt this about anyone either."

"Really? So I'm the first girl you've…liked?" Inuyame asked hesitantly.

"Er, yeah. Yeah, that's right." Kovu said and pulled his hands back and pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello? Yeah. Yeah okay. Alright I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and looked at Inuyame. "I have to go, I'm really sorry. See you tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yeah. Yeah definitely. See you tomorrow." Inuyame said and pasted a smile onto her face. Kovu smiled and walked away. As his back disappeared around the corner, Inuyame's smile faded. She sighed, "I miss him already."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: Midnight Caller

After school Inuyame met up with her friends as usual. As she slowly walked toward their little gang, she grew worried at the excited looks on Sanoku and Shirara's faces.

"Uh, hey guys. What's up?" Inuyame asked slowly and carefully.

"Oh nothing. So, how was lunch?" Shirara asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Oh, that. Erm, lunch went okay. How was your guys' lunch?" Inuyame retorted, looking down at her feet as a blush crept over her face.

"Haha I don't think so missy. We want details, now." Sanoku demanded, fully aware that Inuyame was dodging their questions.

"Oh c'mon guys, it's not all that great." Inuyame lied horribly.

"Yeah right! It's written all over your face!" Shirara accused.

"Alright fine! Koga told me I'm the first girl he's liked. And that he was really happy today because of me." Inuyame blurted out quickly while her face became the color of a ripe tomato.

"Aww!" Sanoku and Shirara squealed while Mirokusan shook his head slowly. "Women." He muttered quietly under his breath.

"And what's so wrong with women?!" Shirara quickly turned on him and asked in a loud voice.

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing." He replied while putting his hands up in surrender.

"That's what I thought." Shirara said and turned back to Inuyame, hitting Mirokusan with her tail as she did.

"Oof." Mirokusan groaned as Shirara's tail was just the right height to hit him in his, well, you know.

"Anyways, that's it? Did you say anything to him?" Sanoku asked now that Shirara was paying attention again.

"Well, I told him I felt the same way. But right after he said I was the first girl he liked his phone rang and after he spoke to whoever was on the other end he had to go." Inuyame confessed.

"Did you even give him your ph—" Shirara was in the middle of asking when she was interrupted.

"Inuyame!" Kovu yelled as he came running towards the group.

"Y-yes?" Inuyame stammered.

"Whew. I, ahem, I forgot to ask you for your phone number." Kovu said as his face flushed red. He glanced at the rest of the gang then quickly looked at his feet. 'What is wrong with me? Why can't I look at her friends? I'm not shy, so what the hell.' he thought to himself as he studied his shoes.

Inuyame wasn't sure if Kovu was blushing or if he was turning red from running but either way she found it very cute. "Oh, umm, here you go." Inuyame said as she took out a pen and paper from her pack and wrote her number down. "You can, umm, you can call me any time." She said as she handed the paper to Kovu.

"Thanks. I'll uh, I'll see you later." Kovu said as he ran off, waving at everyone before he left.

"Eek!" Shirara, Sanoku, and Inuyame all exclaimed while jumping up and down.

"Okay, alright you guys enough. Can we please all go home now? It's getting pretty late and our parents are probably wondering where we are." Mirokusan said, ever the practical one.

"Alright fine. I'll see you guys later." Sanoku said as she gave Inuyame and Shirara a hug. She waved at them as she started walking home with Mirokusan.

Shirara sighed as she watched the two of them walk away.

"What was that all about?" Inuyame asked and smiled slyly.

"Huh? What was what about?" Shirara asked innocently.

"You just sighed while looking in their direction." Inuyame said, tilting her head towards the retreating backs of Sanoku and Mirokusan.

"Oh, that. Umm, that was nothing. I just wish me you can Sanoku could've talked longer, that's all." Shirara said and shifted her feet.

"I don't think so, I know a look of longing when I see one. You have a crush on Mirokusan!" Inuyame exclaimed.

Shirara quickly placed her hands over Inuyame's mouth. "Shh! He could hear you!"

Inuyame's eyes sparkled with laughter. "I knew it!" She whispered after removing Shirara's hands from her mouth.

"Okay fine, I like Mirokusan. But please don't tell him! He's just always acting so sophisticated; it makes me feel like a little kid. And he wouldn't want to date a little kid like me." Shirara said quietly as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Oh don't give me that excuse. Mirokusan would be lucky to date a girl like you, and if he doesn't know it then that's his loss." Inuyame said as she patted Shirara's shoulder and started walking towards both of their homes.

Shirara followed suit and began walking. "Oh and Inuyame, please don't tell Sanoku either. I don't know what she would think or say, and she can be kind of…headstrong…sometimes." Shirara said and shivered at the thought of Sanoku confronting her.

"Alright Shirara, if you don't want me to say anything, I won't. But I think you should." Inuyame said then gave Shirara a hug. "I have to get going too or my dad will pitch a fit."

"Alright, yeah my mom's probably worried too. See you later." Shirara said and hugged Inuyame back. They waved at each other and parted ways.

As Inuyame walked back to her house alone, she found her thoughts consisting of Kovu. She didn't understand him at all. At times he seemed really confident and cocky, but at other times he seemed almost timid. It was all very confusing. She pondered this some more as she walked into her house and closed the door behind her.

"Hey mom, hey dad." She greeted as she took of her shoes and hung her bag on a hook by the door.

"Hey sweetie, how was school?" Kagome called from the living room.

Inuyame blushed anew at the mention of school. "It was good." She said nonchalantly.

"Oh? Just good? Then why is your face all red?" Kagome asked as Inuyame walked into the room.

"What? My face isn't red." Inuyame denied as her face got even darker.

"Oh yes it is. Does it have anything to do with…a boy?" Inuyame's mom asked sneakily even though she already knew the answer. She had felt the same way whenever someone would ask her about Inuyasha.

"N-no! Wh-why would I be thinking about a boy." Inuyame said and hid her face in her hair.

"Oh sweetheart it's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone goes through having their first crush you know. And sometimes, that first crush turns out to be your only crush." Kagome said and looked towards the kitchen where Inuyasha was working on something.

"Really? You mean dad was the only guy you ever liked?" Inuyame asked, intrigued.

"Not quite. He is the only man I have ever loved." Kagome said as a wistful look came across her face.

"Hah, well, I don't think I love this guy quite yet." Inuyame said, knowing full well she was lying not only to her mother, but also to herself.

"Whatever you say, dear. Just be sure you don't give everything away up front, you have to make them work for it. And I don't want to see you hurt." Kagome said gently and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I know, mom. Well, I'm really tired, long day at school and all. I think I'm going to skip supper and go to bed." Inuyame said and stood up.

"Okay sweetheart. Goodnight, I love you." Kagome said and got up to hug Inuyame.

"Love you too mom." Inuyame said and hugged her mom back. She glanced into the kitchen at her dad before walking up to her room to sleep. She changed into her pj's and hopped onto her bed, setting her alarm as she did so. Even though it was the weekend, she still had to get up early to do her chores. She set her cellphone on her nightstand and pulled the covers up to her chin, closing her eyes as she did so. She lie awake in her bed for a long time. Right before she fell asleep around midnight she heard her phone go off. Inuyame groaned and reached over to grab her phone. She opened it up and saw she had a text message. To her surprise, the name on the text ID read: Kovu.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: Down the Rabbit Hole

Inuyame opened the text message as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It read as follows: "Dear Inuyame, heh, that sounds kind of formal for a text, doesn't it? Well, anyway, I have something really important to talk to you about. Is there any way you could come meet me in the park? I know it's late and you would probably have to sneak out but, I really would like to talk to you. Sincerely, Kovu….yeah, again, I know that was pretty formal for a text, but whatever."

Inuyame took a deep breath. 'Kovu has something important to talk to me about? At midnight? What could it possibly mean?' She wondered to herself. She sighed and climbed out of bed, she'd never fall asleep at this rate anyways. She changed into her red robe of the fire rat and put her gear on, hey, you could never be too careful, and grabbed her cellphone. Never having snuck out before, she didn't really know what to do, so she did what she saw people do in the movies. First she stuffed pillows under her blanket to make it look like she was sleeping in bed, then she slowly crept downstairs. As she made her way down the hallway, she was startled to hear someone clear his voice.

"Ahem." Inuyasha said, much to his daughter's dismay.

Inuyame froze in her spot, and then turned to face her father. "Oh, hi daddy." She said, using the childish version of calling him her father, hoping she wouldn't be punished too severely.

"Inuyame you can calm down, I'm not going to punish you. I'm going to let you go." Inuyasha sighed.

Inuyame relaxed, dumfounded. "You're going to let me leave? You know what I'm doing, don't you?" She asked tentatively.

"Keh, yeah I know what you're doing. You're going to meet some boy, or so your mother says. I don't like it, I don't like it at all. In fact I can't stand the thought of some boy having his hands on my daughter. But your mom explained to me that telling you no would just make it worse. So I'll let you go, I just have to talk to you about something really quick. It's about the Shikon No Tama." Inuyasha said, his voice taking on a serious tone.

Inuyasha had definitely peaked his daughter's curiosity. "Really? What about it?" Inuyame asked.

"We, your uncle Sesshomaru and I, are pretty sure we've figured out who has it. We believe it's in the possession of a mousey little half demon named Leyla Michaels. When I say mousey, I mean it quite literally. She is half human half demon mouse. Do you know her?" Inuyasha explained then finished with his question.

Inuyame put her hand up to her chin and thought about it, a habit she had gotten from her father. "No, I don't think I know a Leyla, do you know what grade she's in?" Inuyame asked.

"That's the problem; the only thing we know is her type and her name. I'm leaving it up to you to either protect her and the jewel at any cost, or get the jewel from her and bring it home safely." Inuyasha said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm counting on you sweetheart." He said quietly.

Inuyasha looked at her father, amazed. He rarely called her sweetheart anymore. He had called her sweetheart all the time when she was little. From what her mom said, he had changed a lot from the Inuyasha she had first met. Inuyame smiled brightly at her dad and put per hand on his. "I won't let you down, I promise." She said and gave him a big hug.

Inuyasha was too surprised to move at first but then he hugged her back. He whispered quietly in her ear "I love you Inuyame."

Inuyame pulled back and studied her dad's face "I love you too dad."

"Well, you better get going. I'm sure your….friend…is waiting for you." He said gruffly.

Inuyame smiled at that, he was back to his normal unemotional self. She mock saluted and said "Yes sir." And snuck out the front door.

~Meanwhile~

Kovu walked towards the park, his mind tormented with what he was about to do. How come it had to be him? Why couldn't someone else do it? Like his older brother, or his sister. "Grr, how come I have to do all the dirty work!" He howled into the silence of the night. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked a rock in his path. He didn't want to hurt Inuyame. Maybe if he explained it really carefully and precisely, she would understand. Ha! Yeah right. Irrational, hot-headed, emotional Inuyame? Fat chance! He sighed dejectedly, his thoughts taking him back to earlier that day at lunch.

~Earlier that day at lunch, from Kovu's view~

Inuyame was stuttering again, Kovu found it quite endearing that she grew nervous around him. He had just told her he was especially happy today, and he hadn't lied, he was.

"R-really? Wh-what for?" Inuyame asked, her voice trembling.

"Hmm, I'd have to say it's because of you." Kovu said, a thoughtful look on his face. He really enjoyed messing with Inuyame and making her nervous.

"Me?" Inuyame asked, stunned.

"Yes, you. I don't know why but I'm drawn to you, Inuyame. I find that I can't stop thinking about you even when you're not with me. There's just something about you." Kovu said earnestly as he looked into Inuyame's eyes. He didn't know why but he felt like it was very important to explain why he was so drawn to her. Not just for her sake but for his own as well.

"I, I don't know what to say. But I feel the same way about you." Inuyame said, her face turning scarlet.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, it's a perfectly natural feeling." Kovu said as he grabbed both of Inuyame's hands in his own. Although he said she didn't need to be embarrassed, Kovu secretly enjoyed the flush of red that swept across Inuyame's cheeks. It really was adorable. And the way her Inu ears twitched was so cute.

"I, I know. It's just, I've never felt this way about anyone before." Inuyame said quietly, so quietly so that Kovu had to lean forward and strain his ears to hear it.

When he realized what she had said, his face lit up and he smiled. "I'm really glad to hear you say that. I've never felt this about anyone either." And he meant every word of it. Never had anyone make him feel as if there was nothing he couldn't do, as long as she was by his side. He was about to say this when she spoke again.

"Really? So I'm the first girl you've…liked?" Inuyame asked hesitantly.

"Er, yeah. Yeah, that's right." Kovu said, deflated, and pulled his hands back. 'No, that's wrong' he wanted to say. 'I love you.' But the words couldn't find their way out. She only liked him? Never had he felt so deeply about another person before, and she didn't feel the same? He couldn't process it, and luckily he didn't have to. Just then his phone rang and he reached into his pocket and answered it. "Hello?" He asked. "Kovu, I believe we've made a breakthrough in finding the sacred jewel. You are making good progress with the girl I assume? Good, she is vital to finding the jewel. That's why I put you on this job in the first place. I'm glad I did, too. Me sending you to meet her for this mission was the best thing I ever did." Kovu's father, Koga, said. "Yeah okay." Kovu said, carefully avoiding Inuyame's curious gaze. "You need to come home right away so we can discuss our next move. We must get that jewel at all costs." Koga demanded. "Alright I'll be right there." Kovu hung up the phone and looked at Inuyame. "I have to go, I'm really sorry. See you tomorrow?" He asked. A small part of him wanted her to say no, to deny him seeing her so he didn't have to use her this way, but his hopes failed.

"Yeah. Yeah definitely. See you tomorrow." Inuyame said and pasted a smile onto her face.

Kovu smiled and walked away. He knew her smile had been fake, but he didn't know why. He shook his head as he took off towards home.

~End of flashback~

Kovu cursed at the ground for what he had to do, all because of his stupid father. Well, okay, he took that back. His father wasn't stupid; he just hadn't made the best choices in life was all. Kovu groaned as he reached the park and glanced at his watch. She would arrive in about two minutes, he had that long to try and come up with a plausible explanation that wouldn't make her hate him.

~Meanwhile back to Inuyame~

Inuyame walked nervously to the part, twirling the string from her robe on her fingers. She didn't know what he wanted, so she had no idea what she was going to say to him. Not only that, but she hadn't told him her true feelings yet, she hadn't told him how she loved him. Inuyame wasn't sure how she knew she was in love with Kovu, but she knew she was. There was no other way to explain his effect on her. She walked along like this, deep in thought, for quite some time before reaching the park. She looked around for Kovu but couldn't see him.

"Boo." Came a gravelly voice from behind her. She wasted no time in nocking an arrow and aiming at the noise.

Kovu put his hands up in surrender. "It's me! It's just me." He said and waited for her to lower the weapon.

Inuyame sighed and put the arrow back in the quiver and put her bow back on her shoulder. "You shouldn't startle me like that, I could have shot you." She complained, more mad at herself for not recognizing his voice than mad at him for scaring her. Not that she was scared, mind you, just startled.

"My sincerest apologies." Kovu said and took her hand and bowed over it. "It won't happen again." He said looking up at her then kissed her hand.

Well that was weird. Why was he acting so nice? "Umm okay. So, what did you want to talk about?" Inuyame asked and took her hand back, rubbing the spot where Kovu had kissed it.

"Well, okay. Let's walk." Kovu said and grabbed Inuyame's hand. He led her to a path that wound around the park and through the little forest on the grounds.

"Alright." She said and followed him.

Kovu was silent for the first few minutes, still trying to think of a way to tell her. Finally he spoke, he decided asking her questions she believed he didn't know the answer to first would be a good way to open the metaphorical door. "Have you ever heard of the Sacred Jewel?" Kovu asked, studying Inuyame's face through the corner of his eyes. His ears picked up a hitch in her breathing as his eyes saw her ears perk up.

"Umm, yes I've heard of it. I mean, what demon, or half demon, or even human for that matter, hasn't?" Inuyame said, trying not to give away too much.

'Good, she doesn't suspect a thing…yet.' Kovu thought to himself.

"Why do you ask?" Inuyame asked, curious.

"Well, I was just wondering what your knowledge of it was." Kovu said and avoided Inuyame's eyes.

"My knowledge of it? Hmm." Inuyame thought deeply. She decided to give him the generic information everyone knew. "Well, I know that it's said to be able to grant wishes. And that before we were born, the jewel was shattered into pieces and just a shard could increase the powers of any human or demon alike." Inuyame said, walking alongside Kovu.

"Hm, that's all you know?" Kovu asked, getting the feeling that she was holding back.

Inuyame didn't know what to say. She didn't want to lie to him directly, but since he had asked specifically if that was all she knew, she didn't really see a way out of it. "Umm, no, that isn't all I know. But it's all I can tell you." She decided to go with that.

"Oh?" Kovu said, surprised. So she did know more. "Come on, you can tell me." He said and squeezed her hand, trying to remind her of how close they had gotten.

"Kovu I'm sorry, but I really can't." Inuyame said and let go of his hand, walking ahead of him on the path.

Unable to stop himself, Kovu reached out and grabbed onto Inuyame's shoulders and spun her to face him. "Come on Inuyame, I really need to know. You don't trust me? After all I've done to earn that trust?" Kovu said.

"All you've done to…what do you mean?" Inuyame asked, narrowing her eyes. She didn't know why but for some reason that sounded suspicious.

Kovu coughed and dropped his hands. "I mean, after all I've told you." He said quietly.

"Kovu, that is not what you meant and you and I both know it." Inuyame said sternly. "Now what did you mean?" She asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

"I—." Kovu started to say but was cut off.

"Kovu! Did you get the information yet?" A female voice rang out as a form appeared behind Kovu. She had long reddish-brown hair and emerald green eyes. Her facial features were similar to Kovu's but she wore a tight fitted shirt and a knee length skirt made of white fur.

Kovu sighed and turned to the newcomer. "No Koya, I haven't gotten anything out of her yet. What are you doing here?" Kovu demanded, more than a little upset.

"Why dear brother, I am here to make sure you do your job." Koya said and looked over at Inuyame.

"Brother? Information? Kovu, what is she talking about?" Inuyame stuttered.

Kovu growled at Koya before turning to look at Inuyame, but his eyes couldn't meet hers. "Inuyame, please tell me what else you know about the jewel." Kovu looked into her eyes, "Please."

Inuyame looked back and forth between the two siblings, unsure of what to do. "N-no! I can't! I promised I wouldn't tell anyone! I must protect the jewel!" Inuyame shouted, backing up a step for every word.

"Hmm, pity. All of that hard work you put in getting the girl to like you, and she still won't tell you anything. Looks like you were just wasting your time." Koya mused at her brother.

Inuyame froze. "Wh-what? Kovu? Is that true? You were just using me?" She asked, stunned.

"No! Well, yes. But only at first!" Kovu said as Inuyame started backing away again, trying to get her to stay. "Inuyame that was before I got to know you. Before I fell in love with you!" He pleaded.

"Liar! I can't believe I fell for it. I actually fell for you! Kami I'm so stupid. I don't ever want to see you again!" Inuyame shouted at him before turning around and running down the trail, tears streaming down her face.

Kovu glared at his sister. "This is all your fault." He said before running after Inuyame.

Koya just clicked her tongue and walked after the two.

"Inuyame wait!" Kovu shouted, trying to catch up.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted, trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes, she couldn't see where she was going.

"Please wait for me! I just want to talk!" He called after her.

"I don't want to talk to you!" Inuyame shouted back. Suddenly the ground beneath her feet changed, she wasn't running on smooth path anymore, she was running along uneven forest floor.

"Inuyame where are you going?!" Kovu yelled out. He was finally catching up to her.

"Away from you!" She screamed back. The tears were still blurring her vision. She scrubbed fiercely at her eyes and got her sight back just in time to notice the well right in her way. She tried to stop but slipped on some leaves and went over the side of the well. Just as she was thinking she was done for, her hand was grabbed from above. She looked up and saw Kovu trying to pull her back out. "Kovu! Please don't let me fall." She said, sobbing.

"I'm not going to let you fall, I promise. But I need your other hand." Kovu grunted, trying to reach for Inuyame's other hand.

Inuyame reached up, but the position of her body wouldn't let her get close enough. "I can't do it Kovu." She cried.

"Yes, you can. Come on one more time." He encouraged.

'Alright Inuyame, you can do this.' She thought to herself. She swung backwards to gain momentum then swung forwards again. Just as her fingertips grasped onto Kovu's, the combination of sweat and tears on her other hand made them lose their hold on eachother, and Inuyame tumbled into the darkness. "Kovu!" She screamed.

"Inuyame!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9: Chance Encounter

"Ohh, oww." Inuyame moaned as she sat up. She wasn't surprised that she hurt all over; she had no idea how hard she'd fallen; she just knew that she had hit the ground so hard she had been knocked out. "Where am I?" She asked herself as she stood up and brushed the dirt off of herself. She looked around, taking in the bright green grass that seemed to go on for miles, rolling over hills and into valleys. "I don't remember ever seeing this before…" She said quietly to herself, trying to figure out where she was.

"Alison, wait up! Slow down!" She heard a male voice call from about fifty or so yards away. Ah, the perks of having dog ears. She bent down and picked up her bow and arrows. From the place where she was standing right in a valley of two hills, she couldn't quite see who or what the voices were coming from. She heard laughter that sounded like it was coming from a young girl, no more than five years of age by her estimate. Just as she was thinking this, a little girl with wide brown eyes and long blonde hair up in pigtails stopped in her tracks at the top of the hill.

The little girl took a deep breath and released a scream the likes of which Inuyame had never heard before. "Ahhhhhhhh! Brother!" The little girls' shrill voice called. Inuyame collapsed to her knees and put her hands over her sensitive ears.

"Alison stop your screaming. What is it?" A boy with golden eyes and short brown hair said as he also reached the top of the hill. The little girl, who was apparently named 'Alison', pointed her small finger towards Inuyame. "That girl has doggy ears!" She proclaimed.

"Alison, that's nonsense. There's no such thing as a human with…DOGGY EARS?!" Said a blond teen with golden eyes as he, too, reached the top of the hill, exclaiming the last bit as Inuyame took her hands off of her head. "It's a, it's a, CHIMERA! Run you guys!" The blond exclaimed, grabbing the little girl's hand before taking off down the other side of the hill.

"Wait for me!" The brown-haired boy called after them as he followed behind.

"Hey wait! Where am I?!" Inuyame yelled out, but she figured they either hadn't heard her or chose not to answer. "Well that was just rude!" She huffed as she put her equipment back on. "What the hell is a 'chimera' anyway? Isn't it some kind of animal? I'm not an animal, and I deserve to be treated with respect! I'll show them." She grumbled to herself and followed the scent of the tracks.

When Inuyame reached the top of the last hill, she could see the two teens and child climbing up the stairs of a house and disappearing inside. She sighed and continued walking. When she looked down she realized she wasn't wearing any shoes. Damn, that had been her favorite pair of converse.

"You there! Stop!" She heard a deep male voice call out to her. She stopped and looked up into a face almost identical to the face of the blond teen, the only difference being that it was decidedly the face of an adult. You could tell by the shape of his jaw and the set of his mouth. "Holy hell, it is a chimera…" Inuyame heard him mutter under his breath. His eyes narrowed and he sighed audibly, "I guess there's only one thing to do then." Inuyame watched as he reached into the house and grabbed a staff of some sort, then he slowly started walking towards her.

"Hey, I don't know what you're planning on doing with that, but I wouldn't come any closer if I was you." Inuyame called out and notched an arrow, aiming it at the ground below the man's feet.

"It talks!" He started and came to a halt.

"Of course I talk! And I'm not an 'it' thank you very much, I'm a girl! Not a chimera-whatever." She said, emphasizing the word girl to get her point across.

Just then another blond man similar to the one she was talking to came out of the house. "Brother, is everything okay?" He called out. Then, "Is that a chimera?!"

"I'M NOT A CHIMERA!" Inuyame shouted at the top of her lungs and stomped her foot. The movement accidentally released the arrow she was holding and it shot into the ground right in front of the first man.

"Okay we believe you! Just please, put the bow down." He said, talking to her slowly as if she was a child. She did as he said, however reluctantly.

"Alright well you put that staff down then. I've seen the damage that can be done with a staff, I'm not fooled. And I'm not a child either; you don't have to talk to me like one." She said and sighed.

"Alright, I'll put the staff down." He said and lowered it by his side. "Now, why don't you come inside and explain why you have those ears?"

Seeing no other choice, Inuyame nodded her head and followed him inside. Before she went through the door, she noticed that the two houses next to each other were almost identical, and there seemed to be a hallway connecting the two. Once inside, she was lead to a large sitting room where everyone was already seated.

"Alright, I guess I'll introduce myself first. I'm Edward Elric." The tall blond man said.

A tall tough-looking woman with long blonde hair stood up. "My name is Winry, I'm Ed's wife." She said. Then she gestured to the blond teen who looked to be the same age as her, "This is our son Edwin" Then she turned around and picked up a small blonde girl who couldn't be more than one year old. "And our daughter Melissa."

"Actually, my friends call me Eddy." Said the blond guy.

"I'm Alphonse." The other blond man said.

A shorter woman with long brown hair in two pigtails stood up in the corner. "And my name is May-chang, I'm Al's wife." She said quietly. "And these are our children, William and Alison." She gestured first to the brown-haired boy then to the blonde girl.

"It's nice to meet you all." Inuyame said quietly, not sure how to take all the new faces in. "My name's Inuyame."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10: Explanations

"Alright, Inuyame, where are you from exactly?" Edward asked.

"I'm from Japan, where else would I be from?" Inuyame answered, looking at Edward like he had a few screws loose.

"Japan? I've never heard of such a place." He answered seriously.

"What? But, well then where is this place?" Inuyame gestured to the house everyone was sitting in.

"This is Amestris." Edwin, the blond teen, spoke up.

"Amestris? I've never heard of that place before." Inuyame said.

"So you've never heard of Amestris, and we've never heard of Japan, so how the two places are related I wonder." Edward said, deep in thought.

"Umm, Inuyame, why do you have doggy ears?" Alison asked shyly as she hid behind her mother.

"Well, Alison, my father has dog ears, and I inherited them from him." Inuyame said, not sure yet whether or not she should tell them her father was actually a half-demon.

"Can I…touch them?" Alison asked again, slowly moving out from behind her mom.

"Umm, well…" Inuyame couldn't think of a response. No one had ever asked to touch her ears before. "Sure, I guess. Why not." She said at last and bent over so the small girl could reach them.

Alison slowly walked over to Inuyame and reached her small hands up to grasp Inuyame's ears. Inuyame held very still as her ears were tickled, pulled on, and moved around by the small 5 year old.

"Alright Alison, that's enough." May-chang said and pulled her daughter back to her. "Mommy, they're real." Alison said in an awed whisper. Inuyame's ears straightened back to their alert pose.

"Of course they're real. And they're very useful too." Inuyame said, pride evident in her voice.

"Oh yeah? Useful for things like what, looking weird?" The blond guy said in a snobby whisper. It seemed Inuyame was the only one who heard him.

"Tch, oh yeah, definitely. They also help me pick up smart-assed comments like that." Inuyame said cockily. 'Woah, where did that come from?' she thought to herself. That wasn't the way she would normally react to something like that. The blond obviously hadn't expected it either; he was looking at her incredulously. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from." She said, looking at her hands in her lap.

"No, he deserved it. Now apologize to our guest." Winry said after hitting her son in the head with a wrench and emphasizing the word guest.

"Ow! Gah, sorry for crying out loud!" Edwin said, covering his head with his arms.

"You better be." Winry said, a menacing look in her eyes.

Edward chuckled and looked away, knowing all too well how Wirny could get.

"What are you laughing at?" Winry asks, turning herself to face her husband.

"Who, me? N-nothing. Nothing at all, dear." Edward said, hoping he wasn't about to get hit as well.

"That's what I thought." Winry said, satisfied, and sat back down.

"Man I'm outta here." Edwin said and made a move to go to the door.

"Not so fast mister." Edward said, grabbing his son's shirt sleeve.

"Ugh, what is it?" Edwin growled.

"This girl obviously needs help getting back home. I want you and William to take her to Central to talk to Colonel Mustang and Hawkeye, they might know something about how to get her back to wherever it is she came from." Edward said sternly, looking to Alphonse for confirmation.

At Al's nod, William stood up. "I'd be happy to help." the young teen said.

"Wha? How come I gotta go?" Edwin said, obviously not liking the idea at all.

"Because you are the eldest and the only one who knows the way other than your uncle and I, and we need to stay here and take care of your little sister and cousin." Ed said and glared at his son meaningfully.

Edwin knew the look and promptly stopped struggling to get away and stared at his red and black converse high-tops. "Yessir."

"Good. Inuyame, the boys are going to take you to an old friend of mine who should probably know what to do. I'll call him ahead of time to let him know you guys are coming. Alright you guys go get ready." Ed finished and left the room to call the Colonel.

"Tch. The only reason I'm doing this is because my father's making me." Edwin said to Inuyame before leaving the room to pack his bag.

Inuyame rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"I'm doing it because I want to." William said and smiled at Inuyame before leaving the room as well.

"Oh dear, you don't have any shoes on. Let me go get you a pair of my old ones." May-chang said before leaving the room.

"No that's alri…and she's gone." Inuyame sighed to herself. They seemed to be a very nice family, if it weren't for the one boy her age, she thoroughly disliked him. "Well, I guess I'd better get ready too." Inuyame said and went to get the weapons she had left outside.

**Meanwhile in Japan**

Kovu collapsed against the side of the well, not able to believe what had just happened. After she had fallen in he had called after her until he realized she was no longer there. "Inuyame, what have I done?" He moaned to himself.

"Now how are we supposed to find the jewel?" Koya whined, knowing how her father would react.

Kovu whirled on his older, insensitive sister. "What?! How could you even say something like that when Inuyame is lost and possibly even dead?! What is wrong with you!" Kovu stood and shouted.

"What is wrong with me?! What is wrong with you! Your mission was to get the girl to fall for you and get the jewel information out of her! Falling for her was not in the plan!" Koya yelled, getting into Kovu's face.

Kovu sighed and leaned back. "You're right."

Koya fell back as well, stunned. "What did you say?"

"I said, you're right. Falling for her wasn't part of the plan. But it happened, and there's nothing I can do to change that. As it were, I have fallen for her, and we need to get her back." Kovu said, determination evident in his voice as he turned in the direction he knew Inuyame's house was. Koya sighed and followed after him.

The walk to Inuyame's house seemed to take far too long to Kovu, and he was glad when they were finally at her door. He raised his hand to knock but froze. He had no idea what he was going to say. He was also a little scared of this "Inuyasha" he had heard so much about from his father.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Knock already." Koya said, tapping her foot impatiently.

Kovu nodded and gulped, tapping on the door three times. He took a step back and readied himself if he was greeted with hostility. He took a deep breath as the door opened and before him stood a woman that looked very similar to Inuyame except she had different eye color and human ears.

Kagome blinked a couple of times at the pair standing on her doorstep as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. When she could focus more on who was in front of her, she stepped back, startled, and whispered "Koga?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11: Train Ride

Inuyame sighed and smiled as May-chang came outside with a pair of red converse high-tops in her hands. She took them and slipped them on her feet, glad to feel the familiar glide of fabric on her skin. She stood up and hugged the older woman.

"Thank you so much." She said, tears evident in her voice. While she had been waiting for May, she had been thinking about how she may never get home and how she might be stuck here forever. She saw the sweet woman as a sort of motherly figure she could count on if need be.

"Oh sweetheart, there's no need to thank me. I can't let you run around without shoes on now can I? What kind of caring mother would I be?" May said and separated herself from Inuyame, looking the girl up and down with her hands on her shoulders. She carefully wiped a tear off of the younger's cheek. "Now, don't cry. I'm sure those in Central can figure out how to get you back. Chin up, be strong. This place might be different than what you're used to and I want you to stay safe. There's been quite a lot of crime in the city lately, but you'll have the boys so you should be safe. Just, just all of you come back in one piece, okay?" May-chang said, her voice thick with held emotion.

"I promise." Inuyame said and smiled, her eyes fierce with determination, her voice steady as a rock.

"Good girl, now get a move on so they don't leave you behind." May said and gave Inuyame a little push towards where Edward, Edwin, and William were all standing by the dirt road. When she reached them, the conversation they were having stopped and Edward gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's all planned out. They'll meet you when you arrive so you won't have to travel in the city all alone, alright?" He asked.

Inuyame nodded once and he gave her a pat on the back, she assumed it was meant as good luck, she was good at telling when people had a hard time showing their emotions considering who her father was.

The trio took off, walking quickly to get to the station before it got dark. It was quiet, and it was really starting to piss Inuyame off. If she had been walking with her friends, there wouldn't have been a second where there wasn't a conversation going. William seemed to sense this and decided to strike a conversation.

"So, Inuyame, you never did tell us why you and your father have dog ears." He said in a cheery tone. His mood lightened hers, so she answered him genuinely.

"Well, William, my father is a half-demon, or hanyo." She said.

William didn't seem the least bit surprised. "You can call me Will, and that's cool. I'm guessing half dog demon then?" He said curiously.

"Yep. But my mother is human, so I'm only one-quarter demon. For some reason I still have the demon ears though. But I don't have hardly any of the power my father has. I get most of my powers and skills from my mom. She's the reincarnation of a priestess, so she has spiritual powers, which I inherited." Inuyame tried to explain.

"Ohh, that's fascinating." At first Inuyame thought Will was being sarcastic, but the look on his face told her he was being sincere, that made her smile.

"Ahem." Edwin coughed into his hand and Inuyame looked at him. He looked sheepishly at the ground before he gathered the courage to ask his question. "So, demons and priests and priestesses, they're common in your land?"

Inuyame was at first taken aback that he was actually speaking to her, then second that he wasn't being condescending, so it took her a little longer to answer. When she regained her composure, her answer was short and sweet, "Yeah."

Edwin nodded and looked away again. William rolled his eyes then noticed they were almost there. "Hey there's the train station! Let's go!" He said as he grabbed Inuyame's hand and started half running half dragging her to the station. When they got there William dropped her hand and looked around in awe.

Edwin came up behind Inuyame and spoke quietly. "Sorry about that, he's never been on a train before." He half smiled.

Inuyame grunted. "Well he could've at least pulled me a little gentler." She said as she rubbed her wrist. Edwin looked shocked. Inuyame was surprised too. She had meant to say that it was perfectly understandable to be excited about your first train ride, so where had that other stuff come from? "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, honest."

Edwin shrugged. "Whatever."

Inuyame followed Edwin and William up to the ticket booth. William hopped up and down eagerly in front of the booth. "Three tickets to Central, please." Edwin said to the ticket vendor and paid him the money. Inuyame waited quietly off to the side and admired the train until Edwin and William came over by her.

"Come on, it's leaving soon." Edwin said and walked over to the train, first helping William climb in then climbing in himself. Inuyame was about to huff about him not helping her when he reached his hand out. Surprised, she took it and was pulled into the train. The trio showed the ticket checker their tickets then went to find their seats. William and Edwin sat on one side of the cube booth and Inuyame sat across from them. They waited there in silence until the train began moving, and as the station melted into the distance, Inuyame gathered the courage to speak.

"So, who are these people we're going to meet and why are they so important?" She asked quietly.

Edwin sighed and leaned forwards, clasping his hands together and setting his elbows on his knees. "The people we are going to see used to be my father's bosses. They have the resources to try and figure out how to fix this…predicament." He said.

"Oh. Well, that's good then." Inuyame whispered.

Edwin nodded and leaned back in his seat and looked out the window. This was when Inuyame actually noticed him for the first time as the sun made his blond hair look golden. Now that she was actually looking at him, he wasn't half bad-looking. She shook herself. No, you like Kovu. Gah, she corrected herself again, no, Kovu betrayed her, and she didn't know who she could trust at this point. She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize they had arrived until William shook her shoulder. As the trio got off the train, Inuyame raised her hand above her eyes and blinked in the sunlight. Edwin smirked and spoke with pride, "Welcome, to Central."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12: Central

Inuyame could tell just from the train station that this city must be huge. The whole place was alive with people walking around and trying to find their rides. Inuyame looked to Edwin and William, wondering where the people who were supposed to pick them up were.

"Huh. That's weird. They should be here…" Edwin trailed off as he looked around the station for the familiar faces of 'uncle' Roy and 'aunt' Riza.

"Are they here?" William asked and tugged on Edwin's sleeve.

"Nope. They must have forgot." He grumbled then sighed. "Alright, I guess we'll just have to walk to their house…" He stopped as he realized everyone was looking at her funny as they walked by. Then he remembered. "Ahem. Inuyame you need to cover your ears. Here." He said and handed her a bandana. She quickly tied it over them. "As I was saying, we just need to stick close together. I know how to get there from previous visits. Follow me." He said and led the way while the other two trailed closely behind him.

It was getting late and dark outside, making Inuyame nervous. She was worried about what May had told her about kidnappings. Without the two behind him noticing, Edwin slipped his hands into his pockets and pulled them back out covered in white gloves with alchemist's circles on the top. He had to be prepared for anything as they moved through the shadowy alleyways towards their destination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kovu coughed nervously. "Umm, no, my name is Kovu. I'm Koga's son." He said quietly. Koya coughed loudly. "Oh, and this is my sister, Koya." He said.

Kagome stood there, too stunned to speak. When she regained her composure she held her hand out. "Nice to meet you two." She said and shook their hands. "But, what are you doing on my doorstep so late at night? Not to mention the fact that my husband would not be too happy to find you here." She whispered forcefully.

Kovu nodded. "I know. Unfortunately, after I say what I have to, you probably won't want us here either. It's about your daughter…" He trailed off and was interrupted by Kagome as she stood up straight, her full attention on Kovu.

"What about my daughter?" She said in a voice laced with fear and menace at the same time.

Kovu took a step back and looked at the ground. "Well, she's sort of, not…here, anymore." He said quietly.

"What do you mean by not here? She's…dead?" The word came out as an unbelieving whisper.

"No no, well, maybe. But I don't think so. See, she fell down this well and-" he was interrupted yet again.

"Well? What well?" Kagome asked, confused. Her family's well had been torn down and sealed up so no demons could get through, and her, Inuyasha and the rest of the gang had torn down the well on this side.

"I'm not sure but there's this well in the forest next to the park and she fell down into it, but when I jumped in to check it out she wasn't there." He said and scratched his head, confused.

"She's gone?!" Kagome said accidentally a little too loud. The three froze as footsteps could be heard coming towards the door.

"Hey what's going on out he-" Inuyasha stopped as he saw the three of them. His voice was no longer sleepy and his eyes were full of anger when he said "What's he doing here?"

Kagome turned around and put her hands on Inuyasha's chest. "Now calm down, this isn't Koga, this is Kovu, his son, and Koya, his daughter."

Inuyasha wiped her hands away. "They're still related to him and that's all that I needed to know." He said as he cracked his knuckles and started walking towards Kovu.

Koya pushed her brother back and stepped in front of him. "You'll have to go through me first." She growled.

"Not a problem." Inuyasha growled and raised his hand, about to hit her.

"Inuyasha-!" Kagome yelled and paused, both of them knowing what she was about to say next.

Inuyasha stopped and let his hand fall to his side, balled into a fist. He sighed and crossed his arms across his chest, feeling the beads around his neck. "Fine. But why are they here?" He asked gruffly.

Kagome set her hand on his shoulder and stepped around him. "This boy says our daughter has disappeared down a well." She said meaningfully.

All the color drained from Inuyasha's face and his arms fell to his sides. "She what?" He asked incredulously. He shook his head and pushed Koya out of the way and grabbed Kovu's shirt. "Where is she? What have you done with Inuyame?!" He yelled and slammed him into the wall.

Kovu narrowed his eyes in defiance but shook with fear at the same time. "I haven't done anything with her. She came to meet me and something I said upset her. She ran from me and was not watching where she was going and fell down a well. When I jumped in after her, she wasn't inside it." He spat out, choking.

Inuyasha let him go and Kovu fell to the floor. Koya helped him up. "Kagome." Inuyasha said and looked at her.

Kagome nodded and ran quickly up to their room, returning with her bow and arrows and his sword. She handed the latter to Inuyasha and looked to Kovu. "Show us." She said, her voice prompting no argument.

Kovu quickly led them to the well that Inuyame had fallen into. Inuyasha wasted no time in jumping inside and falling to the bottom.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Hey everyone! I'm back. It's so nice to come back to this story. I feel so bad for leaving it for so long but things were really super hectic with school and work. Now I actually have time to work on it and I will hopefully update at least once a week. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Attack

Inuyame walked slowly and quietly behind the two boys, wondering what they were so frightened of. No human murderers could be as scary as demons, or so she thought. But she let them walk in front of her, though she was the one carrying the sword and the bow. As they continued along she heard something behind her with her sensitive hearing. As she spun around, bow already in her hands and arrow already nocked, she heard Edwin shout behind her.

"Inuyame duck!" He yelled. She did just in time as a…was that a jet of water?...whizzed past her. "Come on!" Edwin called to her as he held out his hand. She quickly took it and he pulled her to her feet and ran down the alley. Suddenly he spun around to face the attackers and dropped to his knees, clapping his hands together then putting them both on the ground. Right in front of where his hands were, a stone wall rose to protect them.

"Woah. How did you…?" Inuyame began to ask but was cut off.

"No time to explain. Let's go. That won't hold them long." Edwin grabbed her hand again, this time holding on tight as he and William led the way down the twisting and winding path of intersecting alleys that never seemed to end.

She could hear their pursuers close behind. It would seem that Edwin was correct and his magical wall hadn't stopped them for very long. She still wanted to know how he had done it, but perhaps when they weren't on the verge of being killed by crazy people. She was jolted out of her thoughts as Edwin and William came to an abrupt halt and she collided into them.

"What gives?" She snapped then gulped as she saw a dead end ahead of them. "Oh no." She slowly pulled her sword from its sheath.

Edwin released her hand and instead put in on her shoulder. "Hang on tight." He said and crouched low to the ground again. She had no idea what he was about to do but William seemed to know because he pulled her down into a crouch as well and braced himself. She mimicked his posture, putting her sword away in the process. Edwin clapped his hands together again and put them to the ground just as she saw their pursuers round the corner they had just passed. Suddenly she felt the ground shaking beneath them and they shot up on a column of stone.

"Come on!" The boys grabbed her hands again and tore off across the rooftops. She thought they would be safe up here but the other guys soon were behind them once again.

"Will they ever give up?" She asked, exasperated.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." Edwin called back. "I can see their house. It's straight ahead." He pointed in front of them where the rooftops ended and about two blocks after that was a small house.

"But how are we going to…?" Inuyame's question was cut off as Edwin kneeled on the ground once again and stone stairs shot out from the wall of the building they were on.

"Quickly!" William dragged her past his brother and down the stairs. She was tripping while trying to keep up and was worried about Edwin until she heard his footfalls behind her. They reached the bottom and sped up quickly. Edwin raced past her to get to the door first and try to open it. She could see the door, they were home free, but she could hear them close behind her. They were safe, they were so close she could feel it, and then she felt her knee hit the ground as she fell. William lost his grip on her hand and she collided with the pavement hard.

"Oww…" She groaned as she felt warmth trickling down her leg. She looked up and saw William's look of horror as she was snatched into the air. "What? Edwin?" She mumbled, already confused from hitting her head. But no, that wasn't right, Edwin was running towards her. Then who…? Realization shone on her face and all the color drained from it as she figured out who had picked her up, the killers.

Inuyasha was standing in the bottom of the well and digging the Tetsusaiga into the dirt. Kagome called from the top.

"Inuyasha? Are you there?" She called. His ears twitched and he could detect the worry in her voice.

"Yeah I'm here. But Inuyame isn't. I don't know how she got through, but you and I both know how we're going to get through. I'm coming back up." He said and kicked hard off of the ground, coming out and landing lightly on the edge of the well. "We need the Shikon Jewel."

Kagome sighed. "I know. I was hoping it was gone forever. Although now I must admit that I'm glad it's here again."

Inuyasha nodded. "The question is, how do we get it? We can't just barge into the school and hunt it down."

Kovu cleared his throat behind them. "You two may not be able to, but I can. That's actually already what I was doing. That's why Inuyame ran away from me…" He trailed off, looking at his shoes.

Kagome looked at him seriously. "Look. I don't know why you wanted the jewel, or why you were after my daughter, but if you can do this for us, you need to." She said, her tone grave.

Kovu looked up at her and nodded. "I swear I will do everything I can to get your daughter back. We have school tomorrow, and I will begin my search then." He looked at Koya for confirmation of help and she nodded.

"Alright, I'm counting on you." Kagome said and looked at Inuyasha.

"We'll stay here and see if she comes out." Inuyasha said gruffly and sat down in front of the well facing towards it. Kagome sat down beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder and slid her hand into his. They had stuck together through a lot, and they would get through this.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N I am SOOO SORRY it has taken this long to post a new chapter! I haven't had electricity in my house since the summer started just about so it's been kind of hard finding time/power to write anything. But school is starting soon so hopefully I'll have more chances to write new chapters. Hope you enjoy this one!**_

Chapter 14: Success…sorta

Inuyame struggled wildly in her captor's grasp, kicking and flailing her arms and trying to do anything to make him put her down. As Edwin ran towards her and the man holding her, the other guy put a knife to her throat. "Easy there, boy. One step closer and this girl's blood will be on you." He said in a calm menace.

Edwin stopped and looked at Inuyame and she froze too, the cold steel already cutting into her neck as a small red trickle slid down her skin. Edwin clenched his fists helplessly, wanting to do something but not knowing how to do it without Inuyame getting hurt. Inuyame shook her head at him, so slightly he couldn't be sure he'd seen it, but what happened next confirmed it.

Inuyame made her body go limp, but backwards and away from the knife. The guy holding her hadn't expected it and his hold on her loosened even as she was rolling out of his grasp. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword as she rolled on the ground, standing back up to face then with renewed anger in her eyes. Her bandana had fallen off in the scuffle and her ears were perked up, alert. Blood flowed from the cut in her neck that had gotten deeper as she had clambered away.

Their attackers froze as they stared at the inhuman features Inuyame possessed. She thought for a moment that they would turn and run away, but then one elbowed the other and grinned. "Hey Ice, how much do you think a pretty little thing like that would go for?" He said, looking Inuyame up and down. She shuddered and avoided his gaze. "I dunno, Steam, but I say we find out." He said, slowly advancing on the trio again.

Edwin stepped in front of her as William pulled her away, towards the apartment. "Over my dead body." Edwin growled. Inuyame's chest constricted in a funny way hearing those words. Edwin pulled his gloves tight before clapping his hands together and touching the ground. A stone spear rose up as a small hole was created in the pavement.

"That can be arranged." Ice said and did the same movement as Ed had and an ice circle went up around them. Inuyame immediately pulled away from William and began attacking the ice with her sword. She couldn't see through the milky surface but she could hear the sound of battle within. She hit the barrier repeatedly, desperately trying to get inside. When William realized he could not get her to stop, he sighed and began drawing a circle with symbols on the ground. "Inuyame stand back." He said. Something in his voice made her step away from the wall. William clapped his hands as she had seen his brother do and placed them to the ground. A loud breaking noise sounded and a cloud of dust rose. When she could see again, there was a hole in the ice large enough to walk through.

Inuyame immediately darted inside, much to the dismay of William who called after her to stop, but she didn't listen. All of her thoughts were concentrated on the fact that Ice had Edwin pinned to the ground and was about to stab him with a frozen sword. "Edwin!" She shouted, just long enough to get the killer to look up at her and stop what he was doing. Long enough for her sword to slice through the air and shatter the other weapon into tiny pieces. Ice jumped back off of Edwin and covered his face as shards went flying in all directions.

Inuyame reached down and helped Edwin to his feet and got ready to leave, but she had miscalculated. She hadn't located the other killer. "Inuyame!" William shouted and she whipped around. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Steam was crouching in the same position the boys had used, and there was something coming at her face. She moved to dodge it but she wouldn't make it in time. Then she saw William running towards her as fast as she could. "William no!" She tried to stop him, but the words were drowned out by the roaring in her ears. A jet of boiling water hit William in the face and he was knocked back into her, pushing all three of them to the ground. Inuyame hit her head hard on the ground, but she sat up on her knees and crouched over William, trying to see how bad he was injured. A cloud of steam was surrounding them and she couldn't see the attackers, but suddenly everything around her blazed orange as flames melted the ice. She could dimly hear agonized screams of pain but her blood loss was catching up to her and she was beginning to lose consciousness. Just before she blacked out, she could see a shadow stooping over them and heard the words, "Edwin, William, what the hell have you gotten yourselves into this time?"

Kovu and Koya went into school the next day with purpose. Koya's purpose differed from Kovu's, but as long as they rescued Inuyame, Kovu didn't care what happened to the jewel. He just needed to find that mousy little freshman that had somehow gotten hold of it. He didn't know her class schedule, but he knew when the freshmen ate lunch so they'd just have to get it there. He was about to go into his classroom when he was stopped by Inuyame's friends.

"Where's Inuyame?" Sanoku asked, narrowing her eyes, her arms crossed across her chest.

Kovu glanced around, feigning like he was surprised she was asking him. "How should I know?" He replied, looking back at her.

"Look, we know you were the last person to see her." Shirara said, her tails flicking back and forth, "just tell us where she is." There was a worried look in her eyes and her nervous tail twitching became erratic.

Kovu sighed. "Look, I don't know where she is, okay? I haven't seen her since… since we parted ways last night." He said, looking glum and feeling it as well.

The three in front of him eyes him warily, but finally they all nodded and let him past, shoulders slumping in worry and defeat. He felt sorry for them, he really did, but them barring him from his mission wasn't going to get him any closer to the Shikon jewel and saving Inuyame.

The first half of the day passed in a blur, and Kovu didn't remember any of it. When the lunch bell rang he bolted for the door and sprinted to the cafeteria, wanting to make sure he could catch her. He and Koya walked into the spacious room, scanning the groups of people for her large circular ears. Finally they spotted her, sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room. They both went over to her and Kovu sat down across from her while Koya stood a little ways away to make sure no one overheard their conversation.

The girl looked up, startled, her ears twitched nervously. "Um…hi." She said in a small voice.

"Hello there." Kovu said, turning on the charm. "My name's Kovu, what's yours?"

"Alice." She said, still in a soft voice.

"That's a pretty name. Listen, Alice. I'm in kind of in a bind here and I need your help." He said, leaning closer to her and lowering his voice.

"M-my help?" Her eyes widened and her voice trembled.

Kovu nodded solemnly, please that she was hanging on to his every word. "I hear that you are in possession of something very powerful, and extremely rare. And that is just the thing to help me in my predicament." He said, his voice even lower.

Alice's eyes widened more than he ever thought they could and she shook her head violently. "No!" She whispered forcefully. "I won't let you have it! You'll only use it for evil means." She said, her ears flat against her head.

Kovu sighed and decided to go with the truth. "No, I won't. I promise. I actually need it to save a friend of mine. The daughter of the priestess Kagome, if that means anything." He said, looking down, defeated.

Alice looked at him in scrutiny. "Daughter of the famous priestess that destroyed the jewel for good? Well, at least we all thought? Hmm….okay. I will help." Kovu perked up. "But," Alice paused, "I will not give the jewel to you. You will take me to Kagome and I shall give it to her." She said, determined.

Kovu couldn't help but grin. For a mouse demon, she was strong. "Deal." He said. "But there's no time to waste, we need to leave now." He grabbed her hand and the three of them left school, running to where Inuyasha and Kagome sat guarding the well and waiting for them. But they're departure did not go unnoticed. Following behind them were three other students, determined to see what they were up to.


End file.
